


Help From My Friends

by thanku4urlove



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP, Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Yakuza, Blood, Cooking, Explicit Language, Fake Fingers, Gangsters, Humor, Inspired by the Heisei Kumi Series, M/M, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, Scars, Secret Identity, Straightening Up and Flying Right Doesn't Go As Planned, Swindlers, Tattoos, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-07 22:56:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20825177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thanku4urlove/pseuds/thanku4urlove
Summary: Daiki's neighbors think he's friendly and polite, his boss sees him as a model employee, and his fiance Inoo Kei couldn't be more in love. Arioka Daiki is an honest, hardworking guy. Or at least, he is now. When someone from his past shows up at his door, Daiki has to try as hard as he can to help his old friends--and keep the man he used to be--hidden from his fiance.





	Help From My Friends

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [My New Family](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13084998) by [yutorin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yutorin/pseuds/yutorin). 

> I wrote this as a Christmas present for my lovely sister. It's a bit of a play on her absolutely incredible Heisei Kumi-verse in which Hey Say JUMP are super badass gangsters that are really really cool. These characters are decidedly not that, but there are little nods and hints that I thought she would enjoy. I recommend everyone go check out the Heisei Kumi series by user yutorin!!

“I’m home!” Daiki called, closing the front door behind him. Silence returned his words, Daiki quickly toeing his shoes off with a frown. His fiance Inoo should be home. Inoo didn’t work, and even so, Daiki knew that he wasn’t out of the house; he’d seen both lights on and movement silhouetted against the curtains as he’d approached the front door.

Daiki was halfway down the hallway when he heard a muffled giggle, and his frown turned into a smile so quickly he didn’t even notice it happening. That was a giggle he would recognize anywhere. Turning into the kitchen, he took in the room for just a moment before bursting out laughing.

How Inoo had managed to get his entire body onto their small kitchen table without breaking anything--or collapsing the piece of furniture--was a mystery, but the effect was hilarious nonetheless. Inoo was sprawled across the wood in what he probably thought to be a provocative fashion, an expression on his face that was doubtlessly supposed to be sultry, but Inoo was having much too hard of a time holding in a laugh instead, and the combined result was much too funny. Daiki dropped his briefcase as his knees went weak, bending in a laugh, clutching at his chest.

“Welcome home, sexy.” Inoo said, the seductive-amused face he had on even harder to maintain when combined with the words coming out of his mouth. He moved his hand across his stomach, lifting his shirt a little as he did so. Inoo’s belly was completely pale and soft, sticking out a bit due to the way he was arching his back, and in that moment Daiki loved every single inch of him.

“I love you.” He had to say, completely genuine despite the last of the laughter leaving his mouth along with the words. Inoo’s eyes shone in a way that told Daiki he knew; he knew, completely believed him, and loved him back just as much.

But instead of saying anything like that, Inoo just flung one arm out in Daiki’s direction, the gesture strong but his wrist weak, his hand flapping in a dismissive fashion.

“I know, darling.” He said, all fake glamour. “How could you not?”

Daiki had to run to him then and Inoo fully laughed, his head falling back as he did, Daiki bringing Inoo’s head up again with his hands to kiss him on the mouth. Inoo gave a little happy hum at the contact, continuing to smile for just a moment before kissing Daiki back, more ardently than Daiki expected. He was left feeling a little breathless.

“So, how was your day at work?” Inoo asked, once he was upright again--still sitting on the table, the table legs wobbling dangerously. Daiki shrugged before speaking, slightly caught up by how much he loved his fiance.

“Oh, you know. A standard Wednesday in the life of a salaryman.” Daiki couldn’t think of anything particularly interesting to talk to Inoo about, between the spreadsheets and emails. “There was a conference call about the upcoming corporate meeting, and I had lunch with Ninomiya.”

Inoo gave a small nod in recognition of the name. “Does he still like video games more than people?”

“Judging by the fact that he looked at his tablet about six times more than he looked at me, I’d say so.”

Inoo laughed, and Daiki turned to stand in front of him, wrapping his arms around Inoo’s middle. Inoo was taller than him, even more so sitting on top of the table, resting his arms around Daiki’s shoulders. With a grin, he hooked his legs around Daiki’s waist.

“What did you do all day?” Daiki asked him. Inoo bunched up his lips in an exaggerated thinking expression, glancing around and tilting his head to the side.

“Waited for you to come back. Thought up my super sexy kitchen table plan.” Inoo didn’t go to work because he didn’t want to--his family was rather well off, the money old and more than enough to live on. When they’d gotten engaged, Inoo had offered to pay for everything the two of them would need, but Daiki had declined. It already felt like too much that they were living in a house and not an apartment thanks to the Inoo family, and besides; if he didn’t work, he didn’t know what he would do with himself all day. Inoo at least had a couple of weird hobbies to keep him busy.

“Oh! I also got all the ingredients for this.” Inoo reached behind himself for a piece of paper. The paper was slightly crumpled--Daiki had the suspicion that only moments before, Inoo had been laying on it.

“Is this what we’re making for dinner?” Daiki asked, Inoo humming in confirmation. Neither of them were spectacular at cooking, but had resolved to get better at it, cooking dinner together a couple of nights a week. Tonight, they were going to try to tackle tonteki with a few simple sides. Inoo hopped off the table, then they washed their hands and got to work.

The pork ended up slightly dry, as pork is wont to do, but overall it was a dinner well done. Inoo reached across the table while they were eating and loosened Daiki’s tie for him, the engagement ring glinting on his finger as he withdrew his hand. Daiki loved this man so much.

“I’m going to run a bath.” Inoo said as they cleared their places, sending an exaggerated wink Daiki’s way. “Care to join me?”

Daiki laughed. “Maybe next time. I’m in the mood for a long soak, and I don’t want to bore you.”

“I’d make sure it was interesting enough.” Inoo said, the flirty tone of voice back in full force, but he didn’t press the offer, simply retreating to the bathroom. Daiki got to work on the dishes while Inoo bathed, nearly finished when something out the kitchen window caught his eye.

Night had fallen by now, only sparse streetlights on, casting long shadows down the darkened streets. The neighborhood that they lived in was simple, bright and clean, but something about it in that moment struck Daiki as ominous. Dangerous even, because for a moment, he thought he’d seen something move. A large something, maybe even a person. His fingers tightened around the sponge in his hand. He couldn't be sure. The bushes by the front door were rustling, but it looked to be from the steady movement of the wind. Daiki shook his head. He had no reason to be on edge like this. Not anymore. Drawing the blinds, he rinsed the final bowl and toweled off his hands.

Inoo was out of the bath soon after, sufficiently distracting his mind and in nothing but a towel. Daiki’s button up work shirt was no longer buttoned by the time it was his turn to bathe, a smile on his face as he made his way to the bathroom. It didn’t take long to wash off and add a little more hot water, Daiki sinking into it with a sigh.

The bathroom window was open but the screen was drawn, letting cool air into the room and making the water feel all the warmer. He closed his eyes, his mind trailing over the day he’d had, the time he’d spent at work coming out like a roll of black and white film next to the couple of hours he’d had at home with Inoo. The idea of quitting his job came back to him, the idea of finally taking up Inoo’s offer and spending more time at home, but he shook it off the way he always did. He wanted to be an honest, working man. He wanted to make a living to support the man he loved, even if Inoo didn’t need him to. Inoo deserved someone like that; someone like the man he was trying to be. Not the man he had been when he and Inoo first met.

A loud rustle had his eyes shooting open, the apprehension that he’d felt while washing the dishes coming back at full force. Something was out there. _Someone _was out there; still out there. He moved to the window as silently as he could and looked out it, his breath catching in his chest.

There was a person standing outside. Their back was turned, and from the silhouette made by the shoulders and waist, Daiki made the assumption that this person was a man. He had on a trim and well-fitted suit, red silk peeking out past the suit jacket sleeves, his hair dyed a light brown and flippy at the ends. He stood in a slightly confident manner, as though he had simply picked this building to casually lean against as he looked up and down the street. Daiki could tell though, by the way he’d half flattened himself against the bushes, he didn’t want anyone else to know he was there.

But he had no business at Daiki’s house; Daiki didn’t need to see his face to know that. He looked sleazy, part of a bad crowd, and doubtlessly nothing but bad news. He needed to leave. Daiki rose from the hot bath water, stepping out and quickly toweling off. He wasn’t fully dry when he tugged his slacks back on but it didn’t matter, shrugging his still-unbuttoned shirt over his damp shoulders. He didn’t go straight outside, making a short detour into the kitchen and retrieving a steak knife. It was a smaller knife than he’d like but Daiki still knew how to use it, fitting his hand to the hilt and gripping tightly. Then he snuck outside.

The man was still there, standing up off against the side of the house and looking down the street away from Daiki. Daiki moved slowly and kept in the shadows, carefully watching the side of his face. If the stranger turned, even a little, he would see Daiki there. But, by some good grace, he didn’t; he twisted his head away instead, looking in the complete opposite direction, and Daiki lunged.

He jumped on the man, wrapping one arm around him to pin his arm to his side, the other arm going up and pressing the blade to his neck. The stranger let out the most undignified yelp Daiki had ever heard, and Daiki felt the man’s knees nearly give out in shock and fear.

“I have your money!” The man exclaimed instantly. “I don’t have it with me, but I have it, I swear, I--”

Daiki’s mouth nearly fell open in surprise. It had been over four years, but he still recognized that voice.

“...Takaki?”

“Dai-chan?” The man asked back, and Daiki let the knife drop. He turned around in Daiki’s arms, and it was him, Takaki Yuya, looking only slightly older than Daiki had last seen him. He was thinner too, fully falling on Daiki with an exhalation of relief. Daiki had to shift the knife quickly to keep from stabbing Takaki--accidentally this time--stumbling backwards a few paces before finding his footing under Takaki’s weight.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Daiki asked. He kept his voice hushed now, unwilling for any neighbors to hear, or look out their windows to see. This was a relatively rich neighborhood, and rich people were chatty. “I nearly killed you!”

“I didn't know where else to go.” Takaki said, a desperate sort of tone edging its way into his voice. “I messed up, man. I messed up bad.”

Takaki’s informal speech and slight kansai twang were so reminiscent of the past that nostalgia nearly knocked Daiki over. He pushed Takaki off him, making sure his old friend was steadied on his feet.

“How did you find this address? It's all the way across the city. It’s registered under a different name.” A different name. His _fiance’s _name. The thought of Inoo had his fist tightening around the knife hilt. “What the hell did you do?”

“One question at a time.” Takaki begged, hanging his head and covering his face with his hands. “I almost died like… Twelve fucking times today. Can’t I just come in?”

“No.” Daiki’s stomach coursed with nerves. “Not until I can be sure that whatever shit you have on you hasn’t followed you here. If you can somehow manage find me, then I don’t know who else can.”

“It’s okay. Not a lot of people know this address. But really Daiki, you don’t think that the Kumi would stop keeping tabs on The Dragon, do you? Just because you decided to straighten up and fly right?”

The old nickname sent a stab through Daiki’s chest, air leaving him almost in a growl. He’d hoped, after meeting Inoo, that “The Dragon” was dead.

He’d never been an official part of any gang, technically. The same way that Takaki wasn’t--technically. He wasn’t in the yakuza. But he had been on the wrong side of the law, doubtlessly. Daiki had found out in high school that was able to use his youthfulness and charm to get people out of their money, and doing that was so much easier than working a nose-to-the-grindstone day job that he’d more or less fallen into it.  
He’d met Takaki through this line of work, who claimed to have a group of people that protected him from the law in exchange for a cut of his profits. When Daiki found out these people were from the Kitagawa clan, a nearby Yakuza group, he probably should have turned tail and gotten himself a job. But instead, he’d fallen deeper into the swindler lifestyle he was carving for himself, slowly but surely becoming friends with the group of gangsters.

Meeting Inoo had turned all of that around. It had been a chance encounter in a different part of town, and he’d been so wonderfully strange and enchanting that Daiki was taking near daily train rides in the hopes of running into him again. The gang told him that love was turning him soft, and maybe it was, but for Inoo, Daiki had been willing to take that risk. He gave them the last payment he owed--handing over a little extra for gratitude and old time’s sake--and hadn’t seen any of them again.

Until now, with Takaki babbling on his doorstep in the middle of the night in Daiki’s quiet and law abiding neighborhood. Nostalgia be damned, if Takaki didn’t start explaining now, Daiki might have to use the knife after all. Takaki seemed to pick up on this, because he began speaking.

“I was swindling this girl, right? Normal girl, kinda pretty but nothing too special; a normal job. Except she had money, man. Money. She just… Always had what I needed, and then some, and I kept wondering when she would run out so I could cut the crap and move on. But she didn’t. So we just kept dating, and kept dating, and the longer I hung out with her, the more serious the relationship got. And one day she decided she wanted to complain about her parents.”

Daiki could already see where this was going, letting his eyes fall closed. Goddamnit, Takaki was such an idiot.

“So? Whose daughter was it?” He asked. Takaki, all of a sudden, couldn’t meet his eyes.

“You know, uh... The Amyuzu Group? That one that tried to start that turf war with us a couple of years ago?”

Daiki nodded a little, only realizing after the fact how natural the use of the word “us” had felt to him.

“She… She’s that _Oyabun’s _daughter.”

In that moment, Daiki really wanted to hit Takaki.

“So, of course--” Now that the bomb had dropped, Takaki seemed unable to stop talking-- “I got the hell out of there, right? Except now this girl’s been dumped out of nowhere, and she cries to her daddy about it, who asks questions and figures out that this is the same boyfriend that all of her allowance money has been going to, and…” Takaki shrugged. “I’m on their fucking hit list, I guess. Shit.”

Shit was right. Takaki really was going to get himself killed. Sighing, Daiki rubbed the back of his neck.

“And you’re sure that no one followed you? No one knows you’re here? No one knows _I’m _here?”

“I swear.” Takaki said instantly. “I swear. Nobody knows. Nobody else knows.”

Daiki studied Takaki for a long moment before having another sigh.

“You can stay with me for one week.” He allotted. “Just one, and--”

Anything else he was going to say was crushed out of him as Takaki swept him up in a death grip of a hug.

“Thank you, thank you, I--”

“Shut up.” Daiki squirmed away from him, but Takaki ruffled his hair anyway. “C’mon.”

They entered the house and took off their shoes, Daiki hoping Inoo would be in bed or in the bathroom so he could wash the knife and put it away before it was seen. But he had no such luck; Takaki turned the corner from the hallway to the kitchen before Daiki himself did, pausing in his tracks.

“Oh, _hello.”_ He said, Daiki bristling. The words were so thick with charm that it was all but dripping from his lips. Takaki, showing up at his door begging for help, only to hit on his fiance less than five seconds later. Daiki couldn’t do much about it though, because he still had a knife in his hand, looking rapidly around at all the shoes in the doorway for a place to hide it.

“Who--” Inoo started. He sounded apprehensive, and Daiki hit his free hand to his forehead. To Inoo, he realized, it looked as though a stranger had just waltzed his way into their house.

“It’s a friend of mine!” He called out quickly. His eye caught on the umbrella stand and he dropped the knife into it. It didn’t seem to catch on any of the umbrellas, though a dull ‘thunk’ told Daiki that it had landed blade first, and was probably stuck in the wood floor. He would have to deal with that later.

“Oh.” Inoo said, and when Daiki was finally able to turn into the kitchen as well, he stopped in his tracks. Takaki’s flirting still wasn’t called for, but at least it was understandable.

Inoo was in nothing but an adorably oversized hoodie and pair of underwear, his hair soft but still slightly damp, fresh faced and clean. Usually, catching Inoo looking so cute and casual made Daiki take pause and thank his lucky stars for the way his life was going, but this time he found himself glancing over at Takaki. If Takaki somehow managed to ruin his life with this plea for protection, Daiki might just kill him himself.

“Takaki Yuya, at your service.” Takaki said charmingly, sweeping into a bow.

“He doesn’t need any of your ‘services’.” Daiki said, shoving Takaki’s back and sending him stumbling forward. Takaki let out another undignified squawk.

“Hey!” Somehow, he managed to straighten up without falling on his face. “I was just trying to introduce myself to your… Roommate? Brother?”

There was a hopeful tone in Takaki’s voice at the labels, Daiki opening his mouth to correct him when he was beaten to it.

“Fiance.” Inoo said. He seemed not to have missed the hopefulness either, and shut it down in one word. Daiki bit back a grin. Inoo played with the engagement ring on his finger as he finished his introduction. “I’m Daiki’s fiance, Inoo Kei.”

“_Very _pleased to make your acquaintance.” Takaki finished--goddamn it, was he still flirting?--Daiki resisting the strong urge to hit him across the back of the head.

“He needs a place to stay for a couple of days.” Daiki told Inoo. “Is it okay if he stays here?”

“Okay.” Inoo allotted easily. Despite Takaki’s flirtatious nature and sleazy appearance, Inoo didn’t seem uneasy or uncomfortable. But, Daiki knew, Inoo was also good at looking unbothered. “There aren’t any sheets on the bed in the guest room upstairs, but--”

“It’s good enough for him.” Daiki said quickly, taking Takaki by the arm and dragging him away. Once they were out of earshot, he really did hit Takaki. “Stop staring at my fiance!”

“He’s the one that doesn’t have pants on!” Takaki yelped. “Goddamn, how did you land a slice like that?”

“None of your fucking business.” Daiki said. “But he doesn’t know about my past, alright? He doesn't know about the swindling, or the yakuza, or the fighting. And he never will. Do you understand me?”

“Don't you think he would find it sexy?” Takaki asked back, and Daiki glared. Inoo would think the opposite. His family was rich and upstanding. Inoo was already too good for him; if he found out, he would leave and never look back.

Daiki stared Takaki down until he got three full nods in response to the unspoken threat. Then they found a clean set of sheets in a hall closet, Daiki giving them to Takaki and pointing out the upstairs bathroom to him before telling him goodnight.

Inoo was on the couch in the living room, his legs curled up under him, watching him come in.

“Sorry about him.” Daiki said, sitting down next to him. “I haven’t seen him in four years; I forgot about how much of an idiot he was.”

“It’s alright.” Inoo said with a bit of a laugh. “Words and glances are harmless. Besides, you are way hotter, Mr. Unbuttoned Business Suit.” Inoo trailed a finger down the middle of Daiki’s chest, Daiki looking down at his hastily pulled on clothes and laughing.

“Let’s go to bed.” He said. It wasn’t until later, curled up together under the bedsheets, that Inoo finally asked him about Takaki.

“I just want to know one thing.” He prefaced it with, the anticipation of the question sending a jolt of nerves through Daiki’s chest.

“Yeah?” He asked, fighting to keep his voice level.

“Is your friend a prostitute?”

A loud laugh pulled itself from Daiki’s chest, partially from relief, but with a good amount of genuine amusement too.

“No.” He assured Inoo. “No, he’s not.”

“Oh.” Inoo didn’t seem particularly surprised, but Daiki felt he wouldn’t be surprised by the opposite being true either. “He might be good at it.”

That just sent Daiki laughing again.

Daiki called in to work the next day, saying that he would be out for the rest of the week. He had full faith in his fiance, but didn’t want Inoo to be holed up all day alone with such a flirtatious monster. Besides, Takaki was dumb; he might spill the beans on accident, and then Daiki would have to murder him.

They fell into casual conversation easily over a late breakfast, Takaki lamenting about needing a toothbrush and a change of clothes. Daiki offered to take him shopping later in the day, Takaki accepting gratefully, his tone so genuine that it seemed out of place. Daiki knew why it was used though, with the gravity of the situation; an offer of accompaniment was also an offer of protection in case anyone from the Amyuzu Group showed up. Thankfully, Inoo didn’t seem to pick up on the shift in Takaki’s voice.

They were gearing up to go when there was a knock at the front door. Takaki froze like a frightened rabbit, his eyes wide. _It’s them._ With Inoo upstairs, moving some of their personal things out of the guest bedroom, Daiki was able to take the steak knife from the umbrella stand, holding it in one hand behind his back. At Daiki’s nod, Takaki swung the door open.

It was two men, one of them extremely tall and lanky, in sunglasses with dyed brown hair. The other was shorter, black tribal tattoos racing up one arm. The tattooed one caught Daiki’s eyes and gave him a crook-toothed grin.

“Hey, Dai-chan!”

Daiki hushed him rapidly, yanking the two inside the door.

“Hikaru! Yabu! What the fuck are you doing here?”

Daiki had cursed more in the past twelve hours than he had in the past four years, but his old friends didn’t bat an eye at the bad language. They were two members of the kumi that Daiki had left behind, proper gangsters, with all the tattoos and scars they needed to prove it.

“Hello to you too.” Yabu said. He was also smiling. “We sure miss you, Dai-chan.”

“Don’t. He’s living large up here.” Takaki said. “He’s got a big house and a hot piece of ass.”

“Takaki! Good to see you’re still alive.” Hikaru told him, clapping Takaki on the shoulder, and Daiki nearly seethed. Inoo was upstairs; he could come down at any moment and see them.

“Why are you here?” He asked again. Yabu pointed at Takaki.

“We’re still supposed to protect him.” He explained. “So we’ve gotta stick around, if that’s alright. He's staying here, right? You got room for all three of us?

Daiki stood there for a moment, disbelieving. On the one hand, it was extremely risky having three criminals in his house, instead of just one; on the other though, if their enemies did manage to find Daiki’s house, it would be better to have all of them. The four of them could keep Inoo safer than Daiki could on his own.

“I… Maybe.” He sighed. “I don’t know. I’ll have to ask my fiance, but… How could you just walk in my neighborhood like… Like this!” He gestured to Hikaru’s sleeveless shirt. “My neighbors--! We have to go.”

“Go?” Yabu echoed, just as Daiki turned to yell up the stairs.

“Kei! I’m taking Takaki shopping. Call if you need anything!”

“Okay! Love you!” Inoo called back. His voice was slightly muffled by whatever it was he was doing upstairs, and Daiki dragged his three old friends out the door.

“Love you?” Hikaru asked, the question loaded, but Daiki ignored it and handed Hikaru his jacket instead.

“Cover up. My neighbors will talk.”

Huffing, Hikaru did. The jacket wasn’t sufficient, the tattoos visible under the too-short sleeves and winding up his neck, but it was enough for now.

The four of them took the train to a small shopping center, a place Daiki hoped was just far enough from his neighborhood that he wouldn't see anyone he knew. It wasn't very busy--it was a Thursday, after all--and Daiki felt it was safe to begin asking questions.

“How did you know where I was?” That was first on the list. “This house is nearly across the country, and under a different name.”

“Distance is relative.” Hikaru said with a shrug.

“And name changes are nothing.” Yabu added. “It's not like it's a new tactic or anything. That's like… Step one for anyone that wants to go into hiding.”

“I didn’t go into hiding!” Daiki exclaimed indignantly.

“Right.” Hikaru said. “Sure.”

“I'm not.”

“No, you're right!” Hikaru said, and for a moment Daiki thought he was being serious. Then very quickly realized he wasn't. “Everyone knows that 'how did you find me’ is a phrase exclusively used by people that _haven't _gone into hiding.”

Daiki rolled his eyes, but Hikaru's playful voice made it impossible to keep a grin from his face, despite his annoyance.

“We just kept tabs on the bare minimum of what you were up to. Call it a soft spot, but we didn't want anything to happen to you. Especially since you're trying to make an earnest man out of yourself.”

“Oh.” Daiki glanced around at the three of them. “Thanks, I guess.” The unknown concern was slightly touching, and Daiki found that despite the circumstances of them coming together now, he’d actually missed them.

They walked through a few clothing stores, Takaki shopping like a man whose life was on the line while the rest of them trailed along behind him.

“Is it really so dangerous that he needs the two of you?” Daiki asked. “I mean, swindling a gang leader’s daughter isn’t a great idea, but two bodyguards is a lot.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be so bad if he’d picked literally any other group of enemies.” Yabu began. “He had a ton to choose from.”

“But he’s Takaki.” Daiki said, both Hikaru and Yabu laughing loudly.

“The Amyuzu group have been itching for a reason to fight with us.” Hikaru explained. “They keep getting into useless scuffles with us. We think they want our land.”

“So of course, they wanna kill Takaki,” Yabu finished with an offhanded kind of shrug, “and they wanna use ‘helping and protecting’ as an excuse to attack us. The rest of the kumi are hoping to end the conflict before it turns into anything too dangerous, and we’re here just in case.”

Just in case. Daiki didn't like the sound of that.

Takaki finished his shopping, and they were about to head towards the register when Daiki branched off, heading down an aisle of long sleeved shirts.

“What…?” Hikaru started, following after him. Daiki grabbed a stack of turtleneck shirts and shoved them into Hikaru's arms.

“Oh, come on.” Hikaru groaned.

“Nope!” Daiki exclaimed, shaking his head. “You're going to wear them. The whole week. You will wear them to bed.”

“That's--!”

“My fiance doesn't know anything about my past. He doesn't know about all the stuff I did, and he's not going to find out because of your tattoos.”

“You don't think he'd find the criminal activity a little sexy?”

“Why do people keep thinking that? I'm not having this argument again. You're wearing the damn turtlenecks.”

Once they'd paid and left, Hikaru changed into one of the five new turtleneck shirts in a Seven Eleven bathroom and the four of them started back home.

Daiki began to get nervous as they approached his house together. They looked suspicious. Hikaru, now that he was covered up, looked relatively upstanding, but Yabu and Takaki stuck out painfully with their dyed hair. Daiki could almost hear the neighbors gossiping.

Thankfully, when Inoo met Hikaru and Yabu, he was fully clothed. Daiki introduced them, calling them old friends too and asking if they could also stay. He swore they they wouldn't be annoying, and that they could stay in the same room as Takaki, stopped in the middle of his attempt at persuasion by Inoo putting his hands on his shoulders.

“Hey, calm down. Of course they can stay.” Then Inoo turned his attention to Yabu and Hikaru. “I'm Inoo Kei, Daiki's fiance.”

At the word “fiance”, Hikaru's eyebrows shot up his forehead in unrestrained surprise. Bastard, Daiki found himself thinking.

Yabu and Hikaru reintroduced themselves, claiming to be friends of Takaki's as well. Yabu was in the middle of telling some story about something that happened at the train station on their way here when Inoo's hand shot out and grabbed his arm.

“I… Uh?” Yabu asked eloquently, but Daiki understood. Inoo had turned Yabu's arm, and was staring, wide-eyed, at a huge and terribly ugly scar that ran all the way up past his elbow.

“This looks awful! What happened to you?”

Yabu laughed, evidently embarrassed, trying unsuccessfully to pull his arm from Inoo's grip.

“It was a long time ago.” He said.

Yabu had gotten that scar while Daiki had known him. Himself, Yabu, and another friend named Chinen had all gone out for dinner and drinks together. Some random passerby hadn't been able to keep his mouth to himself, and intoxicated Yabu discovered very quickly and painfully that he'd brought his fists to a knife fight. The scarred skin was now so tight that Yabu was unable to fully straighten his arm.

Inoo was still staring, now with his eyebrows raised. He wanted an answer, Daiki could tell, looking imploringly at Yabu. Give him a reason, any reason, except the real one.

“Just… Uh… Cooking accident.” Yabu said lamely.

“...cooking.” Inoo repeated.

“Yabu does suck at cooking.” Daiki said, and it wasn't even a lie.

“Oh.” Inoo shrugged a little. “I thought that maybe we could all make dinner together, since we'll need more food than normal.”

“We can help cook!” Hikaru jumped in quickly. It was considerate of him, but Daiki wished he hadn't; he didn't want Yabu's lie to be invalidated so quickly.

“Are you sure? You just said--”

“It was a long time ago.” Yabu said, reaching out to slap Hikaru's hand--Hikaru had reached up to scratch his neck. Hikaru dropped his hand instantly, realizing he was about to expose his tattoo.

“Oh… Okay.” Inoo said slowly, looking uneasily at the two newcomers for the first time. Daiki wished he could tell them to act less weird. “Let's get started, I guess.”

Whether to keep up the lie or a genuine display of still, Yabu truly sucked at cooking. He blundered around the kitchen, bumping into people and knocking silverware on the floor. Daiki soon realized though, that while running hip first into the kitchen table may have been an accident, he was actually nudging Daiki's shoulder on purpose.

“What?” Daiki hissed at him.

“We didn't wash the shirts before Hikaru put one on!” Yabu hissed back. “He's having an allergic reaction!”

Daiki glanced over. Hikaru was listening to Inoo explain the next step in their cooking process, trying very hard to keep a smile on his face. He was also trying very hard to scratch his arm without disturbing the shirtsleeve, though every time his nails moved, a tiny ring of black tattoo became visible on his wrist as the fabric shifted. Inoo hadn’t noticed, but it was only a matter of time.

“But there's nothing else for him to wear!” Daiki said under his breath. He wasn't sure what was going to happen first--Hikaru taking the shirt off in frustration, or Inoo noticing the tattoos.

“I'm going to stage a diversion.” Yabu said, with much more confidence than the situation warranted. “We'll figure something out.”

Without warning, before Daiki could even hope to change his mind, Yabu went barrelling into Hikaru at full force. They both fell to the ground, Hikaru very narrowly missing hitting his head on the counter as they went down. Inoo let out a yell of surprise, jumping out of the way, Daiki taking a quick step closer to him. The two of them lay on the ground for a moment, half on top of each other, then in a painfully theatrical voice Yabu exclaimed,

“I'm so sorry! I fell!”

Takaki snorted, the sound almost a laugh before he clapped his hands over his mouth.

“You broke my arm!” Hikaru said, his voice so genuine that Daiki was afraid that he was actually injured. Yabu scrambled off him, Hikaru rolling and clutching at his wrist. “It’s broken!”

Yabu helped him up and led him from the room, Takaki trailing quickly after him.

“...Is he going to be okay?” Inoo asked after a moment of stunned silence.

“I hope so.” Was all Daiki could think to say. He and Inoo finished dinner together while the other three were gone upstairs, up there for a suspicious amount of time. Daiki was a little worried about the actual state of Hikaru’s wrist, but he tried to push the concern from his mind. Hikaru had broken bones before; he would be fine.

As it turned out, Daiki shouldn't have worried at all. The three of them reappeared roughly thirty minutes later, tromping downstairs in a group. Daiki had to admit, Hikaru had tried the best he could.

He had on the shirt Yabu had been wearing, a blue top with three-quarter sleeves. To cover the remainder of his tattooed arm, he'd wrapped it in an ancient ACE bandage, the fabric dirty and definitely stained in old blood. To keep his neck hidden, he had on a purple scarf of Takaki's.

He looked utterly ridiculous.

“Are you okay?” Inoo asked, hurrying over and reaching towards Hikaru's injured arm. “Let me see. If it's swelling, we should ice it before you wrap it up.”

Daiki hoped that the old blood on the grubby bandage would deter his fiance, or at least cause him to make a face, but he had no such luck. Inoo seemed completely unfazed, beginning to unwrap it.

“No!” Hikaru shouted, snatching his arm back. “It's fine. I'm fine! I just need to keep it wrapped, that's all.”

“Are… Are you cold?” Inoo gestured to Hikaru's scarf. “We can turn the heat on.”

“Oh, it’s fine!” Hikaru tried to smile, tugging the scarf a little tighter around his neck. Inoo frowned at him, silence permeating the room, Takaki shooting Daiki the most incriminatingly uncomfortable look.

“Let’s eat!” Yabu said loudly, and thanks to the painfully awkward segway, the subject was dropped and they did.

Hikaru wore the scarf and bandage for the next three days, Daiki finally able to take Inoo out of the house for a couple of hours so the rest of them could do laundry. If Inoo thought it was strange--which he must have--he didn't say so. Daiki wasn't sure why he didn't mention it, but was too grateful to ask. They’d gotten through half a week without incident, Daiki beginning to hope that they just might make it.

“What happened to you?!”

The shout was Inoo, loud and surprised. Worried, Daiki rushed from the couch, Takaki jumping up next to him. He hurried towards the sound of Inoo’s voice, finding him standing just outside the bathroom door.

Yabu was there too, standing in the doorway, stock still and half wrapped in a towel. He’d obviously just gotten from the bath, and Inoo just happened to be passing by, but was now staring at Yabu’s chest.

Yabu had a giant scar up his torso, having been ripped open years ago from hip to shoulder. Daiki didn’t know the origin of the injury, but it truly was the ugliest scar Daiki had ever seen. The story behind it was bound to be rough, bloody, and doubtlessly illegal, and Yabu was standing there hopelessly.

“What happened?” Inoo asked again. Yabu locked eyes with Daiki over Inoo’s shoulder, a desperate expression in his eyes, and Daiki had no idea what to say.

“Car accident.” Takaki spoke up from behind them all. It was a stroke of brilliance, everyone turning to look at him. “He doesn’t like to talk about it.”

“Oh.” Inoo said. His voice was quieter now, turning back to Yabu apologetically. “Sorry for prying. I was just surprised.”

All Yabu had to do to sell the lie was to look uncomfortable, and he accomplished it flawlessly. Daiki let out a breath of relief.

Inoo felt bad about asking, apologizing through various parts of the day, still expressing remorse and discomfort when he and Daiki were getting into bed that night.

“I know why Hikaru wears those turtlenecks.” He said. Daiki didn’t think Inoo had any idea of the truth--and wouldn’t be saying it so nonchalantly if he knew--but it still made his chest tighten with nerves.

“Yeah?”

“He was in the car crash too, wasn’t he?”

Daiki exhaled. This solution was too convenient, too good of an opportunity to pass up.

“Yeah. It was really bad. Both of them are touchy on the subject.”

Inoo nodded a little, and they went to bed.

With Hikaru’s weird outfits and Yabu’s scars explained away, Daiki was beginning to breathe easier. As long as no one from Amyuzu burst down the door, they should be okay. Unfortunately, in the middle of breakfast the next day, Takaki’s cell phone rang. He brought it lazily from his pocket, chewing as he did, his body freezing when he looked at the screen.

“Who is it?” Yabu asked. Takaki looked nervous, Daiki also finding himself wondering who was calling, and what the call meant to his friend. Judging by Takaki’s expression, it meant something serious.

“My, uh, my…” They all stared, Daiki wishing desperately for another stroke of genius. It didn’t come. Instead... “My pimp.”

Hikaru promptly coughed out a laugh into his cereal. Takaki ran from the room, his phone pressed to his ear, Yabu slapping Hikaru hard on the back and actually causing him to choke. Inoo though, turned to Daiki.

“Pimp?” He repeated. He raised his eyebrows. “I thought your friend wasn’t a prostitute.”

“I…” Right. The one thing Inoo had asked him about Takaki. The only thing. Daiki felt his stomach twist. He couldn’t say he hadn’t known; it was too late for that. He tried desperately to think of another lie, but nothing came. Inoo gave him an imploring look.

“I… Yeah.”

“Anything else you’re lying to me about?” Inoo asked him. He didn’t sound too accusatory, but there was an underlying edge to his voice. The answer to that was_ yes, everything,_ but Daiki bit his tongue.

“No.” He managed out. He couldn’t look at Inoo any longer, his eyes dropping to the table. “Sorry.”

After a few minutes had passed and Takaki still hadn't returned, Yabu got to his feet to check on him. When Yabu didn't come back either, Hikaru got up. Inoo pulled his own phone from his pocket, tapping at it for just a few moments before setting it back down. He heaved a sigh.

“I'm going out.” He declared, and Daiki was left sitting alone. With a growl, he got up and followed after his friends.

“What the hell--” He started, seeing Hikaru's body through bathroom door, which was open a crack. He was planning on reprimanding his friends for upsetting his fiance with their strange behavior and complete desertion of breakfast. When he swung the door open, his voice died in his throat.

There were five people in his bathroom. Takaki and Yabu were hovering against the wall, Takaki's eyes wide with shock and horror. Hikaru was bending over the tub, his hands slick with blood. And in his bathtub were two people, two old friends--Chinen Yuri and Nakajima Yuto. Chinen was in Yuto's lap, his breathing shallow, his eyes closed. Blood was pouring from his chest.

“He got shot.”

It was a voice from outside, and Daiki looked up to see none other than Yamada Ryosuke standing just outside his window, the screen of it popped out. Judging by the blood that was slicked down the tile wall, through the window was how Chinen and Yuto had gotten in.

“The Amyuzu Group?” Daiki asked him, and Yamada nodded.

“We managed to lose them right outside the train station, but not before one of them pulled a gun out.”

Hikaru was unbuttoning Chinen's shirt, his movements small and precise. As he did, he rattled off some items.

“We're gonna need a needle and thread, scissors, peroxide, and all the gauze you have. Fast.” He looked up at Chinen's face. “You alright?”

“Fucking fantastic.” Chinen hissed out. His face was pinched up.

“I’ll go get the stuff.” Yabu said. He turned out the bathroom door before pausing in the doorway, glancing back at Daiki. Daiki realized that Yabu had come to the conclusion that he had no idea where anything in Daiki’s house was.

“Right.” He muttered out, stepping out to join him and get what they would need to fix up Chinen. It felt surreal, having an injured mobster sprawled out in his bathtub, even more so when, after exiting the bathroom, he nearly ran into his fiance.

Inoo stopped in his tracks, taking a moment to glance between the two of them. He had obviously just seen them exiting the bathroom together.

“What’s going on?” He asked. Daiki watched as Yabu tried to wipe the look of shocked concern that he was still holding for Chinen off his face. “You two okay?”

“Hikaru, he, uh…”

“He slipped.” Daiki cut in quickly. “He hit his head.”

Yabu nodded like a bobblehead. “He’s bleeding a little, but he’ll be alright. We just need some bandaids.”

Inoo took another look between the two of them before walking slowly to a cabinet in the hallway, pulling out a box of bandaids. He handed them to Yabu, and Daiki had to fight the morbid urge to laugh at the idea that Yabu was being given a box of bandaids to fix a bullet wound.

“Thanks.” Yabu said, ducking out of sight and re entering the bathroom.

“Okay.” Inoo said, turning to Daiki. He was dressed up to go, his coat buttoned up. “Like I said, I’m heading out for a couple of hours.” He stepped closer, rubbing Daiki’s biceps with his hands. “Are you alright?”

“I--Yeah.”

“Okay.” Inoo said again, but his tone was doubtful. “You look stressed.”

“No, I’m fine.” He nodded his head in the direction of the bathroom. “Hurt friend in there, that’s all.”

It wasn’t technically a lie, but Daiki could tell Inoo didn’t believe him. Inoo didn’t press the issue though, simply kissing him and saying he’d be back in a little while. As soon as the front door was closed, Daiki raced for the first aid kit he kept under the sink.

It took a couple of minutes to wrangle all of the supplies, but when he did he ran back to the bathroom. Chinen’s shirt was entirely off and almost completely soaked in blood, pressed in to apply pressure to where his arm met his torso.

“Good news.” Hikaru said. His words were so contradictory to his appearance--blood covering his hands and streaked across his sweaty forehead--that they nearly gave Daiki whiplash. “The bullet shot a hole straight through his shirt, but it grazed him. Passed right under his arm. It’s deep, but nothing worse than that. We should be able to sew him up just fine.”

Daiki just nodded a bit, handing the supplies Yabu, who was much more experienced and capable than he was. He stood back with Takaki and Yamada--who had climbed in through the window too at some point--and watched.

“Long time no see.” Yamada said, giving Daiki a small grin and nudging him with an elbow. “How have you been?”

“Great, if we’re not counting this past week. You?”

“Alright.” Yamada shrugged. “Got a couple of new tattoos over the past couple years. New sword that I really like.”

“Oh god.” Daiki couldn’t help but mutter, placing his face in his hands. Yamada glanced over at him and laughed.

Hikaru and Yabu managed to get Chinen stitched up in the bathtub. The use of the showerhead made cleanup rather easy, though Chinen and Yuto were both bloodsoaked. Chinen was wiped down with washcloths and pumped full of painkillers while Yuto showered, and then they both borrowed some of Daiki’s clothes. The bloody clothes were quickly washed and hung up outside, all seven of them sitting themselves around Daiki’s living room.

“So, judging by the whole gun situation, this has gotten serious.” Daiki remarked. Yamada nodded, his expression grave. Chinen nodded too, but he was on at least twice the recommended dose of ibuprofen, and looked to be in a bit of a daze. He was more or less laying in Takaki’s lap.

“They fucking… They fucking shot me!” He exclaimed, as though just now realizing it.

“Yes, they did.” Hikaru said, his tone gentle and understanding. Chinen pouted, snuggling down closer to Takaki’s body.

“I’ll kill them.”

Silence followed the remark, prompting Daiki to look around at them all.

“Are… Are you actually going to kill them?”

“They tried to kill Chinen.” Yuto said. His face was a hard line. “But they were shooting at any one of us. They’re asking for it.”

“That would mean war.” Daiki said. Takaki was handsome, sure, but Daiki didn’t consider him to have a face that would launch a thousand ships.

“Does them firing the first shot not already mean war?” Yabu asked back. Yamada met Daiki’s eyes.

“If it does come to that, we could really use your help.” He said. Daiki shot to his feet.

“No.” He said instantly. “I didn’t… I got out! I moved away! I’m… I’m engaged, I have a goddamn desk job, I don’t—I’m not—”

“We’re not talking about getting in there, and actually fighting for us.” Hikaru said quickly. “We already have decent financial support. Maybe medical supplies? This place would be perfect for a safe house.”

“You already turned it into one.” Daiki said, gesturing to them all, and about half of them had the decency to look sheepish. “All I said was that Takaki could stay for a week so he wouldn’t get murdered.”

“No good deed goes unpunished.” Chinen slurred out.

“I love you guys, but I can’t risk it.” Daiki said. “This new life… It’s worth everything to me.”

As if on cue, the front door opened. The gangsters all flinched, making Daiki tense up. Then Inoo poked his head around the corner.

“More old friends?” He asked as he walked in. “I saw unfamiliar shoes by the door.”

“They dropped by while you were out.” Daiki said. It was almost true.

“And do they want to stay too?” Inoo asked. He didn’t sound exasperated, like Daiki expected; just curious, leaning forward to kiss him in greeting. Takaki let out a whistle.

“Just for a few days, if you don’t mind.” Yuto spoke up. That prompted some introductions, Inoo saying that they could stay.

“You’re the best.” Daiki said sincerely, Inoo winking in response.

They worked together to keep Chinen silent and still, in an attempt to keep the wincing and drugged up rambling to a minimum, and thankfully Inoo didn’t ask. He was actually quite pleased with the new house guests, Yamada jumping at the chance to help make dinner, Yuto doing the dishes after they ate without anyone asking him to. Conversation came easily too, all of Daiki’s old friends extremely interested in his new life, Inoo misunderstanding their curiosity but still more than willing to share embarrassing details.

“Is this really okay?” Daiki couldn’t help but ask, as they got into bed that night. “You seemed a little fed up earlier.”

“I do like your friends.” Inoo said. “They’re not the crowd I’d expect you to hang out with, but they’re nice enough. This is all just sudden, you know?”

“It was sudden for me too.” Daiki said. “Thanks for being so wonderful about it.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” Inoo said, kissing Daiki before snuggling closer. “Being wonderful.”

“Hey, so...” Inoo voice preceded him down the stairway and into the living room, holding something white up over his head with one hand. “...can I throw this out?”

The entire room fell silent. It was mid afternoon the next day, and the Inoo-Arioka house, usually quiet and calm on weekends with just the two of them, had become a bustle of voices and movement. It was a drastic change, the number of people having quadrupled in size, but Daiki found that despite the circumstances, he quite liked it.

“Can I throw this away?” Inoo asked again. “It’s pretty destroyed.”

He was holding a basket of clean, dry laundry, offering up Chinen’s shot-through shirt with his free hand. Yuto was openly gaping at him. Yuto, Chinen, and Yamada were all dressed in Takaki, Yabu, or Hikaru’s clothes, and despite Yamada’s best efforts to make it look fashionable, both he and Chinen were absolutely drowning in the fabric.

“Uh… Yeah.” Chinen finally said. Daiki watched, holding his breath, waiting for Inoo to ask the obvious—to ask why this shirt had a giant bullet hole ripped through the chest. But Inoo just shrugged and, without any pomp or circumstance, dropped the button down into the trash.

The whole room seemed to let out a breath, and that’s when Inoo turned, a grin on his face.

“What?” He asked.

“I’m taking a shower.” Yamada blurted, looking more desperate to escape the situation than wanting to get clean. He left the room, leaving a more awkward silence in his wake.

“Let me help you fold that!” Yuto said, jumping up from the couch, and the question was dropped.

With Yuto keeping his energy up and Hikaru moving the conversation along, the shirt was quickly forgotten. Inoo retreated into the bedroom to put some of the clothes away, and a second later Yamada poked his head from the bathroom. He had a towel slung low around his hips, his hair still wet.

“Can I run upstairs? I didn’t bring a change of clothes in here with me.”

Daiki was grateful that he’d waited. Yamada, like all his friends, was covered in scars and tattoos. His tattoos were less visible from head on, littering his back more than anything else, but he had a few winding around his biceps.

“Hurry.” Daiki said with a nod, and just as Yamada had nodded back, Inoo reappeared.

“Only the towels left--” He started, picking up a stack of them and turning towards the bathroom. Daiki shot a desperate look to Takaki, who was closest to his fiance. Without any real plan--that much was evident by the helpless look on his face--Takaki jumped into action. He all but leapt on Inoo, covering Inoo’s eyes with his hands.

“Guess who?” He tried, putting on a cutesy and flirtatious voice, but Inoo let out a surprised shout, stabbing back with both of his elbows and kicking one foot up. With two jabs to the gut and a kick in the crotch, Takaki fell to the floor with a whine.

Yamada, thankfully, had not been distracted by the spectacle and used the moment to make a mad, half naked, and still wet dash up the stairs. Everyone else’s eyes were on Takaki and Inoo.

“Sorry!” Inoo exclaimed, but he was still breathing hard, his apology slightly overshadowed by his wide eyed expression.

“It’s alright.” Takaki gasped out. He was sprawled on the floor, curled in on himself. “I like a guy that can beat me up.”

“Every guy can beat you up.” Chinen deadpanned.

“Is that why Takaki flirts with everything that moves?”

They were doing it again--being loud and funny to distract from and move past the situation. Inoo apologized a few more times, and after a couple minutes of wallowing on the floor, Takaki managed to pull himself off the rug and onto the couch. He slumped next to Chinen, who was curled in slightly to favor his bullet-wounded side.

“What’s going on?” Yamada asked, entering the room, now completely covered up.

“Takaki got kicked in the balls.” Yabu reported. Yamada let out a snort of laughter, which was spread to Yuto almost immediately. Before long, the whole room was laughing.

Takaki though, found it all a little more serious than he was letting on. As the group congregated in the kitchen for dinner--Yamada had more or less taken over the space, assigning everyone roles to get the meal going--Takaki pulled Daiki aside and leaned in close.

“That wasn’t just wild flailing earlier.” He said. It took Daiki a moment to realize what Takaki was talking about.

“What, Inoo?”

“Yeah. He knew exactly where to hit me to get me winded. Your fiance knows how to fight.”

The assessment made Daiki laugh. “There's no way. He got lucky. I mean, look at him.”

He nodded towards Inoo, who had a yellow apron on, his bangs clipped to the side and away from his face. He was laughing at something Hikaru was saying, his face scrunched up adorably.

“Hey man.” Takaki raised his hands up to his chest in defense. “I'm not saying he's a black belt or something. Maybe he just took a class or two. But I'll bet money that he could throw a punch without breaking his thumb.”

Daiki watched Inoo for a few more moments. It didn't feel right; it didn't sit right with him, the idea of Inoo fighting.

“I wouldn't take that bet. Your money is what got us into this mess in the first place.”

Takaki laughed at that. “Good point.”

“Hey!” Yuto called, lifting his hand. He was holding his chopping knife, a pile of chunked up carrots on the cutting board in front of him. “Stop whispering over there and help out!”

Takaki grinned and nodded, pushing himself up off the wall to walk over. Mission accomplished, Yuto let his hand drop. The knife blade fell on--and then through--his left pointer finger.

The fingertip went rolling across the table, and Inoo let out a yell. He stumbled backwards, slamming into Chinen, who yelped as he was knocked to the ground. Daiki simply stood there, shell shocked for a moment, because when he'd known Yuto, the gangster had had all of his fingers. And now he’d lost one, but there was no blood.

No blood. A prosthetic. Daiki'd had no reason to look closely at Yuto's hands before now, so he hadn't noticed. It was painfully obvious now, plastic and limp. It looked disturbingly lifelike, but the lack of blood was going to be a dead giveaway. And if Inoo found out that Yuto was missing a finger, connections would be made and the jig would be up completely.

Jumping forwards, Daiki grabbed Inoo--who, thankfully, had put his hands up to his face--and spun him around, pressing him close to his chest. Chinen staggered to his feet, blood from what had to be opened stitches seeping through the shirt he was wearing. Takaki rushed forwards to steady him, Yuto snatching up the end of his finger and hiding his hand behind his back.

“Is he okay?” Inoo breathed into Daiki’s neck. He tried to pull away, to turn around. “I--we should--”

“It’s going to be alright. You don’t want to see.”

Hikaru rolled the carrots off the cutting board and placed it in the sink, turning the water on. He was pretending to wash it, Yamada getting the memo and beginning to do the same to the table with a wet washcloth.

“Actually…” There was a slight tinge of morbid curiosity in Inoo’s voice now that the shock was wearing off. “I kind of do.”

Despite himself, Daiki let out a small laugh.

“We’re taking Yuto to the emergency room.” Yabu reported, he, Yuto, Takaki, and Chinen all rushing out. Hikaru turned the sink off, and gave Daiki a nod. The tabletop, cutting board, and sink all were wet, looking like all possible spilled blood bad been washed away, and Daiki let Inoo go. He spun back around.

“Is he going to be okay?” Inoo asked again, looking around, but the other four were already gone. His voice fell to a hushed sort of stage whisper. “...are they going to be able to put it back on?”

Yamada muffled a cough of laughter with the back of his hand. Miraculously, Hikaru kept a straight face, offering up a shrug.

“I mean, I hope so?” He said, and at that Daiki had a hard time staying serious, his cheeks puffing out in a desperate attempt to contain himself. Yamada saw him, meeting his eyes, and fully turned away from the rest of the room, a series of muffled snorts coming from him. Hikaru cracked up just a second later, all of their hard work lost. Inoo laughed too, and while it wasn’t as big and bright as he usually laughed, he didn’t look too traumatized either, so Daiki took it as a win.

“Let’s finish making dinner.” Yamada said, once he’d regained some composure. “So they have something warm to eat when they get back.”

They all pitched in and made an eight person feast, the last dish on the table when the four of them returned. Chinen had on a new shirt and a jacket, and was walking slightly stiffly. Yuto, however, was beaming.

“Hey!” He greeted, waving. He was holding up his left hand, and they could all see that his pointer finger was wrapped heavily in gauze.

“How is your hand?” Inoo asked in a rush. “What happened?”

“Well, we gave everyone in the waiting room a big surprise.” Yabu said, and Daiki held in a wince. The words sounded rehearsed--Yabu was terrible at acting.

“Did you put the finger back on?” Yamada asked. Daiki didn’t miss the wording, and by the look of things, Yuto didn’t either. He nodded.

“I’m going to keep it wrapped up though.” He said. “Keeping it clean and protected, you know.”

Takaki then accused Yuto of speaking in innuendo, the conversation quickly derailing, and they sat down to eat. Inoo didn’t talk much as the meal progressed, excusing himself to the bath a few moments later. Daiki tried not to let it bother him, turning to Yuto instead.

“What did you do?” He asked. Yuto tilted his head questioningly. “Your finger. How badly did you fuck up for them to make you cut the pointer finger off? Shouldn’t it just be a pinky?”

“Oh, no!” Yuto said brightly. “It was an accident! The top half of my finger got crushed in a fight, so it had to be amputated. It was… Two years ago, I think?”

Yabu nodded in confirmation, opening his mouth.

“Speaking of which, we were able to get Chinen sewed back up.” He reported. “He’ll be sore for a couple of days, but everything is still on track to heal okay.”

“This is the second time I’ve gotten stitched up in a Family Mart bathroom.” Chinen said dryly. “If it happens a third time, I’m leaving the country.”

“We did run into some trouble, though.” Takaki said. “Just some Amyuzu guys. We were able to outrun them, so there weren’t any fights in your precious rich-man neighborhood.”

The last sentence was said to Daiki, and Daiki wasn’t sure if it was supposed to appease him or not. He assumed it was, but the idea of the Amyuzu group being in his neighborhood at all did nothing but make him nervous.

Inoo was still quiet when he emerged from the bath, but Daiki didn’t ask him about it until they were alone, in their room together and getting ready for bed.

“I looked it up, after I took a bath.” Inoo said. “Finger amputations. Even if there aren’t any complications, Yuto’s only going to get fifty percent of mobility and sensation back. And that’s if he’s lucky. That’s scary to me.”

Daiki wondered briefly if telling Inoo that he’d actually already lost one hundred percent would make him feel better or worse. He couldn’t decide. Inoo shrugged.

“I just don’t know if I’ll be able to chop anything for a while.” He finished. Daiki pulled him in close and kissed his temple.

“That’s alright. I’ll do it for you.”

“Just be careful.” Inoo told him. There was a joking tone to his voice, but Daiki could tell that he was being serious too. “Your fingers are short, but I like them anyway.”

“Gee, thanks.” Daiki said, and Inoo laughed a little.

Tired from the drama and excitement of the day, Daiki had no trouble falling asleep. He woke only a few hours later, the room dark. He glanced around blearily, trying to figure out what it was that woke him, when he realized that the space next to him was empty. Inoo was gone.

Panic flared in Daiki’s chest, his worst fear already beginning to mold itself to his reality, driving out any attempts at rational thought. Somehow, Inoo had found out. He knew. He knew what Daiki’s friends were. He knew what Daiki was, and had up and left. Daiki would never, ever see him again.

Daiki leapt from bed, rushing into the hallway. He collided into something solid almost instantly, the shadowy figure he’d run into leaping back a few paces. It took a couple of moments, but Daiki was eventually able to make out Yuto’s face in the darkness. Something in Yuto’s hand glinted, and it was all Daiki could do to keep his voice hushed.

“How in the hell do you have a gun?!”

“I asked an underling to bring it for me while we were out. After we ran into those Amyuzu guys.” Yuto explained.

“And you brought it into my house?”

“For safety! Protection!” Despite the barrel of the gun pointed straight at the floor, it didn’t feel very safe. “I’ve had it on me all day. I was about to go to sleep, but then I heard voices.”

Voices. That brought Daiki back to the original reason he’d gotten out of bed, nerves welling in his stomach.

“Have you seen Inoo?”

“He’s not in bed with you?” Yuto asked back. When Daiki shook his head, his face turned thoughtful. “I mean, Chinen said he heard the front door close maybe half an hour ago, but we gave him a bunch of meds after his side got opened up again, so we haven’t really been taking him seriously.”

Daiki cursed under his breath, hushed almost immediately by Yuto, who was evidently listening hard. Daiki paused to listen too. As Yuto had said, there was someone speaking outside. The words weren’t distinguishable, but Daiki would recognize that tone anywhere. He let out a breath of relief.

“It’s Inoo.” He said. “Maybe he’s on the phone or something. I’ll go out there and talk to him.”

Yuto nodded a little, but didn’t put the gun away. Daiki took that as a sign to be careful, and crept quietly outside.

“I’m not coming with you.” Inoo’s voice. He didn’t sound afraid, but fiercely defiant and unhappy. His voice was coming from around the corner of the house, just past the bushes around the front door. It was a perfect place to stand to keep from being seen by anyone looking out the windows. Daiki began to walk quietly around. He didn’t want to scare Inoo, but he was curious as to what was going on, hoping to hear a bit more of the phone conversation before making his presence known.

“But they’re here? And they’re still alive?”

Daiki froze. This wasn’t a phone conversation. There was someone out there with Inoo, his voice soft but steady. It wasn’t a voice Daiki recognized.

“Yes.”

Daiki peeked slowly around the corner. There was a man standing there, and the sight of him forced Daiki to place a hand over his mouth to muffle a gasp. He looked terrifying.

He was roughly the same height as Inoo was, but much broader, with wide shoulders, thick arms, and a strong jaw. And he looked mean, a full sleeve of tattoos up one arm, scars littering his body. One across his neck was particularly nasty, long and thick, jagged and raised.

“I can’t let you come in.” Inoo spoke again. His voice was forceful, and fear found its way into Daiki’s throat. This guy was a gangster, that much was clear. A criminal. Daiki didn’t know him, and Yuto hadn’t been expecting him. That meant he wasn’t a friend. He was an enemy. And Inoo was what, trying to protect them? Thinking he could bar this man’s path?

The man’s face was set, his brows furrowed. It wasn’t a happy expression, and as Daiki watched, he began reaching behind himself and down towards his waistband. A gun.

Without any plan or weapon to protect himself, Daiki rushed around the corner of his house and straight at the scary man. They collided hard, Daiki knocking him off his feet, the two of them tumbling together into the street. The man threw a punch at him but Daiki was able to dodge it, getting in a hit of his own before wrapping his legs around the man’s neck.

“Stop, stop!” Inoo shouted, rushing at them. His eyes were wide with fear. “Daiki, stop it!”

Daiki was so stunned that he paused. “...me?”

“Get off him.”

The man was lying as flat as he could on the ground, his hands back submissively, his body tight with tension but unmoving. So, tentatively, Daiki did.

The man let himself sit up, but not stand. Daiki looked between the stranger and his fiance. Inoo looked pale and frightened, glancing between the two of them.

“What the hell is going on?” Daiki decided to ask.

“Daiki, this…” Inoo gestured to the man on the ground. “This is my friend, Keito.”

Daiki felt his jaw drop.

“Your… He’s--”

“He’s also my bodyguard.” Inoo said quickly. The words seemed to be rushing out of him, and his eyes were on his feet. “My dad put him in that position after I told him I was leaving, and that I didn’t want to take over the family business.”

Keito got to his feet, brushing off his hands. Daiki ran through the few lines of conversation he’d heard.

“Kei?” _They’re here. They’re still alive. _“What is your family’s business, exactly?”

“...we wash money for the mob.”

“Which mob group?”

Inoo glanced up at him, looking over his face. One second. Two. Then…

“The Kitagawa clan.”

Daiki’s entire body relaxed, slumping in relief. If it had been anyone else--especially Amyuzu--this would have been dangerous. But this could be okay.

“I’m not very involved.” Inoo said. His eyes were back on his feet. “Or, I guess I am. I keep books. Numbers. It’s what I do most days, while you’re at work.” He looked up again. His face was set, though there was still a familiar vulnerability in his eyes. “Don’t hate me.”

“Hate you?” Daiki was genuinely baffled before realizing that Inoo, truly, knew nothing of his side of the story. “Kei, do you know who my friends are?”

Confusion crossed Inoo’s face, but before Daiki could begin to explain, his front door opened. It was Yuto, his gun at the ready. He dropped it to his side as soon as he saw them all, and a huge grin split his face.

“Hey!” He said happily. “Keito’s here!”

They all went inside together. The entire house crowded into the living room, and everything was laid out in the open. It was a tough conversation, Daiki explaining his past, his vow to set himself straight, and how desperately he’d wanted to keep the truth from touching Inoo. Inoo, in turn, told them all that he was the son of the man that supplied the Kitagawa group with most of their money, and how he had also wanted to live an honest--well, more honest, but still relatively comfortable--life after meeting Daiki.

“I contact Keito often, and keep him updated, but he’s never had to interfere.” Inoo told Daiki. “That’s why you’ve never met. But since this war has started, he wanted to move me to a safe house. I didn’t want to go, because that would either mean more lying, or coming completely clean, and both of those options were so scary to me. We had a big fight about it yesterday. That’s where I was all afternoon.”

“We were kind of hoping that we could use this place as a safe house.” Yabu said. “The Amyuzu group haven’t found out about it yet. It would be really useful.”

“I would love to help.” Inoo said seriously, looking around at them, and Daiki felt something in his heart swell, so affectionate it nearly hurt. Despite what he’d learned over the past hour, this was still Inoo; his Inoo. He reached over to take Inoo’s hand. Inoo laced their fingers together and squeezed. “Any friends of Daiki’s are friends of mine.”

They decided to call it a night, Daiki and Inoo retreating into their bedroom. Daiki didn’t quite feel like sleeping, and it seemed Inoo didn’t either, sitting on the edge of their bed together.

“Did you really not have any idea?” Daiki asked him. Inoo’s face turned thoughtful.

“Well, I knew they were absolute hooligans of some kind.” Inoo told him, and Daiki laughed. “All the dyed hair. And their explanations didn’t all make sense. Plus, that shirt--that was a bullet hole, wasn’t it?”

Daiki nodded a little, and Inoo nodded back.

“I just didn’t want to ask.” He confessed. “Though that does explain the blood I found on the bathroom floor.”

“What?!” Daiki exclaimed. “I thought we cleaned all that up!”

Inoo laughed at him, leaning close to press a kiss to the side of his head.

“Are we okay?” He asked. Daiki searched his face for a moment.

“Yeah.” He answered. “We’re okay.”

“Good. Because I just have one more question.”

“Oh?” Daiki raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“Earlier, when you took down Keito...” Inoo raised his eyebrows back. “How did you learn to fight like that?”

“Right, that…” Daiki gave a nervous laugh. “Yamada taught me. We were sparring partners back in the day.”

Inoo nodded thoughtfully. “That’s kinda sexy, you know.”

Daiki’s mouth fell open, fully gaping at him.

“Seriously? Why does everyone think that?!”

Inoo burst into laughter, resting against Daiki’s shoulder for a moment. Then he leaned close, pulling Daiki in for a kiss.


End file.
